Black Pony Immersive wants to put player freedom back at the centre of game development. Following the closure of Arkane Austin, several developers behind Dishonored, Prey and Redfall have joined forces to create a new single-player experience that plays to their strengths.
Rather than chasing another games-as-a-service project, the studio is embracing a design philosophy that rewards curiosity, experimentation and exploration. Its first production could also offer an interesting perspective on the value of creative specialisation.
Black Pony Immersive puts player freedom first
During an interview published by PC Gamer on November 14, 2026, Harvey Smith and Ben Horne shared some details about their studio’s debut project. Although it has yet to be officially announced, its creative direction is already taking shape.
Smith describes a first-person, single-player game combining shooting, stealth and RPG elements. Narrative and atmosphere will also play important roles, alongside the possibility of exploring environments at an individual pace.
For immersive sim fans, perhaps the most encouraging aspect is how these elements could complement one another. Instead of treating combat, exploration and stealth as separate experiences, the genre can reward players for finding unexpected solutions.
Nevertheless, Smith does not simply want to recreate familiar mechanics. He hopes to introduce ideas that emerge naturally from the game’s setting while preserving what makes immersive sims appealing.
Redfall exposed the risks of abandoning a studio’s strengths
One of the reasons behind this creative direction becomes clearer when looking back at Redfall. Smith acknowledges that Arkane’s vampire shooter never properly came together and believes the team should not have been developing a games-as-a-service title.
Horne, who served as production director, also recalls several complications surrounding its release. In his view, its $70 price, console rivalries and controversy over performance contributed to a difficult launch.
Furthermore, Arkane decided to hold back a console performance mode shortly before release after identifying frame rate drops. Consequently, the absence of a 60 fps option at launch became another source of criticism.
However, Horne considers working outside the team’s area of expertise to be the more fundamental problem. From that perspective, returning to immersive sim development represents a strategic decision as much as a creative one.
Black Pony Immersive builds on decades of experience
The developers involved bring experience from several generations of immersive sims. Smith worked as QA lead on System Shock at Looking Glass before collaborating with Warren Spector on Deus Ex at Ion Storm Austin.
Later, he co-directed Dishonored alongside Raphaël Colantonio and directed Dishonored 2 at Arkane. Black Pony Immersive also counts Ricardo Bare, creative director of Prey: Mooncrash, among its team members.
Interestingly, Smith remembers how Arkane occasionally rejected projects during its independent years because they did not suit its identity. Those decisions sometimes put the company at risk. However, its specialisation also encouraged the developers of BioShock 2 to seek Arkane’s assistance with level design.
That history takes on renewed significance amid reports surrounding the potential sale of Arkane Lyon and the future of Marvel’s Blade. Creative expertise can survive beyond a studio’s original corporate structure, even when its established franchises remain elsewhere.
A spiritual return without repeating the past
Respecting genre conventions without becoming restricted by them will be another challenge for the new developer. Smith recognises a division between those who defend traditional immersive sim principles and those who prefer to experiment with new approaches.
He identifies with both perspectives. Moreover, he hopes that his new studio will eventually demonstrate its versatility rather than becoming synonymous with a single formula.
For now, the project has no officially announced title, release date or confirmed platforms. Its design ambitions are therefore more concrete than its release plans.
Ultimately, Black Pony Immersive has an opportunity to show that returning to a familiar genre does not necessarily mean looking backwards. Can its developers capture the freedom of Dishonored while offering something that even veteran immersive sim fans have never experienced?
Creator of the website, Pokemon trainer by nature. Trying to report on everything related to the world of video games, series and movies. Yu-Gi-Oh is my weakness, collecting cards since the dawn of time.
